


Castles of Cards

by A Sirius Crush On Moony (Obsession137)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Eventual Smut, M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-04-28 05:13:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14442114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obsession137/pseuds/A%20Sirius%20Crush%20On%20Moony
Summary: Regulus stays at Hogwarts for his first year at Hogwarts, and much to his dismay he's not the only person to stay. Regulus doesn't have any friends, and neither does Barty, until they discover they have exactly what they need in each other.





	Castles of Cards

**Author's Note:**

> This will be the first of seven chapters, showing their seven Christmases at Hogwarts. The rating may change as the chapters progress.

Regulus didn't really know what he was doing standing at the platform at Hogsmeade station in front of the Hogwarts Express. He wasn't going home for Christmas, which felt odd. Everyone else seemed to be going home.

He could see two of his dorm-mates - Antonin Dolohov and Corban Yaxley – sitting in one of the compartments laughing and chattering away. He turned his head at the sound of a familiar voice – his brother, Sirius's.

"Are you  _sure_  I can come over to yours this Christmas?" Sirius was saying to one of his friends. Regulus watched as James Potter rolled his eyes and lightly shoved Sirius.

"Of course you can come to mine. My parents love you!"

Regulus watched Sirius raise his eyebrows at James. "Your parents haven't even met me."

"Well, you're my best friend. I talk about you so much that they feel like they know you."

Sirius grinned, and it was something that Regulus wasn't used to seeing. He watched Sirius, James and two more of their friends board the Hogwarts Express. Sirius didn't even glance at Regulus.

A strange sort of sadness washed over him. Why couldn't  _he_  have something like that? He envied his brother's friendships. Regulus had only been a Hogwarts student for four months, but he was sure most people made friends in the first or second week. He couldn't understand why nobody liked him – he wasn't that bad, was he?

Lost in thought, he nearly jumped out of his skin when the train engine started. Regulus glanced back at his dorm-mates' compartment and waved goodbye to them as the train started moving off from the station. Neither boys glanced his way.

Regulus swallowed hard and tried not to let it hurt him. He suddenly felt very alone. He shivered at the cold and hugged himself, glancing around the empty platform. He was the only first-year left on the platform so he had to be escorted back to the castle by Hagrid, whereas the older students who had bid their friends goodbye could venture off into Hogsmeade.

"Yer not goin' home, then?" Hagrid asked suddenly, making Regulus jump again.

"No… my family are going away this year so they said I would have to stay here for Christmas," Regulus replied. This would be his first Christmas alone. He wasn't completely sure what he felt about that - Christmas wasn't usually much fun at Grimmauld Place, but it was all that he knew so in a way, he sort of missed it. And he missed Sirius. If Regulus had to consider  _anyone_  as a friend, it would be Sirius. But since Regulus had started Hogwarts and got sorted into Slytherin, Sirius had completely ignored him.

"Let's get yer back ter the castle," Hagrid said cheerfully. Regulus had to take three steps to match each of Hagrid's steps, so by the time they got back to Hogwarts he was completely sweaty and out of breath.

He stood in the main corridor for a good few minutes, catching his breath. He wondered what he should do with himself for the next two weeks. They hadn't really done enough work yet for him to study for his lessons – and besides, most of the stuff he'd learnt he had already known before Hogwarts.

He could hear people talking in the Great Hall, and decided to see if it was anyone he knew. He stepped inside, and turned around quickly. A few of the professors were playing board games, and he just knew they'd ask him to join in if they saw he was lonely. The only thing worse than being alone with no friends was being pitied by adults and made to join in on their silly activities.

Regulus decided he'd head back to the Slytherin common room. Maybe he'd go back to bed. It was only ten o'clock in the morning so he could get away with sleeping for a bit longer. When he reached the common room, he couldn't help noticing how empty it was. Only one sofa was occupied, and the other five were empty, which was unheard of.

Severus Snape was the person sitting on the sofa, and for that reason, Regulus was heading straight to his dormitory. Snape was in the year above him, and for some reason he didn't get on with Sirius and his friends at all. Unfortunately for Regulus, this meant that Snape's hatred was also extended to him. He hurried past Snape and down the stairs towards the first-year boys' dormitory, hoping that Snape wouldn't say anything to him.

He practically ran into the dorm and slammed the door shut behind him. His heart was racing. Last time he'd had an encounter with Snape, he'd been called all sorts of horrible names and been humiliated in front of a group of Slytherins who  _could_  have been potential friends but instead ended up making fun of him as well.

When he turned his attention back to what was in front of him rather than what was outside the door, he almost jumped out of his skin again. He hadn't expected another person to be in his dorm.

The other boy was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the carpet behind an impressive card castle, peering at him with what seemed to be a mixture of fear and surprise.

Regulus stared back, unsure of what to say. The boy in front of him was one of his dorm-mates. His name was Barty Crouch, he was very shy and  _very_ strange, and that was about all Regulus knew about him despite living with him for four months. They'd never uttered a word to each other before. Since the first day they'd met, Barty had avoided him at all costs and Regulus knew how to take a hint – Barty obviously didn't like him, so why should Regulus make any effort to talk to him in return?

It was beginning to get a little awkward as the two of them stared at each other.

"Don't tell me  _you're_  staying here for Christmas too?" Regulus blurted out before he could even consider that it sounded extremely rude. His eyes widened and he wanted to apologise, but couldn't form the words.

Barty did seem a little hurt by Regulus's words, but he didn't say anything. He averted his eyes and slowly started to dismantle his card castle. Regulus watched him very carefully take each card and place it in a pile next to him. Again, he couldn't stop the words from coming out.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just knock it over?" he asked. Barty glanced at him again for a minute, and then he looked back at his card castle. If Regulus hadn't seen his mouth move, he probably wouldn't have even heard him speak.

"I never thought of that," he mumbled.

"Why are you taking it down anyway? It's pretty great," Regulus said, cautiously stepping closer.

Barty stood up quickly, eyeing Regulus guardedly. He swallowed, not really looking Regulus in the eye as he spoke. "I- I didn't want to bother you."

" _I'm_ the one who walked in when you were busy," Regulus replied. "So  _I'm_ the one bothering  _you."_

"Are you… staying here for Christmas?" Barty asked.

"Yeah," Regulus mumbled. "You?"

"Yes."

Another awkward silence filled the room as both boys struggled to make conversation.

"So- ", they both started at the same time.

Regulus cleared his throat. "You go first."

"Go where?"

"I meant… you go first…" Regulus said again. He watched Barty's confused expression become even more confused and wondered to himself how stupid this boy could be.

"But where do you want me to go? I understand if you don't want to sleep in the same dorm as me, but I thought we would just ignore each other or something. You know… like we usually do…" Barty trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Regulus had never heard Barty talk so much in his life.

"No, I meant-" Regulus sighed and fiddled with a loose thread on his sleeve. "We both started talking at the same time and I just said you should go first… with saying what you wanted to say."

"Oh," Barty mumbled, going red. "Well, I don't remember what I was going to say now."

"Right."

"You should have made it clearer what you wanted me to do," he continued matter-of-factly.

"Um, it was pretty clear," Regulus replied, getting irritated. Now he'd wished he'd just let Barty slowly take down his castle of cards and leave the room, but instead he was stuck with him.

"What were  _you_  going to say, then?" Barty asked.

"It doesn't matter now."

"Why doesn't it matter?"

Regulus sighed again. "What's with all the questions?"

Barty shrugged and looked away. "Anyway, I'm knocking down my castle now and then I'll leave you alone to… to do… whatever it is that you do."

Regulus nodded. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to reply to that. He stood and watched the blonde-haired boy knock down his masterpiece and collect the cards. Barty put his cards onto his bedside table and then stood for a moment next to his bed.

"So, am I staying here, or are you?"

Regulus didn't really want Barty in the room with him – things were too awkward, and he couldn't bear the thought of a full two weeks alone with him. What would they even talk about? He considered leaving and sleeping in the common room for the two weeks, but then he remembered Snape was in there and decided against it.

"I think it would be best if you left," Regulus said firmly, trying his hardest not to sound rude and failing miserably.

"Well," Barty said, very obviously trying to sound authoritative but missing the mark. "Where do you suppose I stay instead of my own dorm?"

"I don't know."

"I won't sleep in the common room," Barty said. "Snape is there, and he scares me more than you do."

Regulus raised his eyebrows and watched as Barty blushed again.

"I mean, I'm not  _scared_  of you," he snorted. "Why would I be scared of  _you_?"

"Are you sure about that?" Regulus asked, wondering why on Earth this boy would fear him. Although Barty denied it, things were starting to make sense now that he thought about it. Maybe the reason he had always avoided him was because he was genuinely scared of him? It would also explain all of the fearful looks on Barty's face whenever Regulus walked into a room.

"Of course I'm sure!" Barty replied. "Can I – can I please just sleep in my bed and I promise I won't even talk to you?"

"Fine," Regulus replied. He could understand the reasoning behind not wanting to sleep in a place that Snape could reach him. "I'd rather you didn't talk to me anyway. You're pretty annoying."

 _What the hell_ , Regulus thought.  _Why am I being so rude to him?_

Barty didn't reply straight away. They stood again for a while, and then finally Barty cleared his throat. "So, I'll just go to my bed and read a book or… something…"

"Why are you telling me this?" Regulus asked.

"I don't know. I thought you might wonder why I'm in bed so early, so it was better to just explain myself now to avoid a conversation about it later. I'm  _not_  sleeping, just reading."

Regulus tried not to laugh. "I honestly don't care if you sleep or read or whatever. Just stay out of my way."

"Will do," Barty said quickly, slipping into bed and drawing the curtains. He left them open a crack, and Regulus peered in curiously to see whether he was actually reading or not. When he looked in, Barty was fast asleep.

Regulus rolled his eyes and headed over to his own bed and pulled out a book he'd borrowed recently from the library. Yes,  _he'd_  read. He wouldn't  _lie_  about reading.

He couldn't help but glance over at the drawn curtains and wonder why Barty was so strange. He also wondered why he cared so much about how strange he was, but his mind kept wandering and he was getting more and more curious about his dorm-mate with every passing minute.

Regulus fell asleep with his book in his hands, and when he awoke a few hours later, Barty was no longer there.

* * *

Regulus headed upstairs to the Great Hall for dinner. He wondered how many students would be there in comparison to how many were usually there. When he entered the hall, he saw even less students than he'd expected. There were a few first and second years dotted around, but mostly groups of threes or fours of older students he'd never dream of talking to. The house tables had been shortened so that people wouldn't be sitting so spaced out.

Regulus glanced at the Slytherin table and frowned. He could either sit with some sixth year boys who were double his size and known bullies, or he had the fantastic choice of Barty or Severus who were at either ends of the table as far from the sixth years and each other as possible.

 _Great_ , he thought miserably.  _I guess I'm sitting with Weirdo_.

He slowly walked over to Barty and glanced down at him.

"Are you, er… is this… is anybody sitting here?" he asked, nodding towards the empty seat.

Barty shook his head wordlessly and continued eating his food, so Regulus slid into the seat quickly and grabbed a glass of pumpkin juice.

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a while, and when Barty finished his food, Regulus was surprised that he stayed at the table. He wanted to ask why, but decided against it. Again, this boy had spiked his curiosity.

Regulus finished eating and glanced at Barty, who – he hadn't realised – was staring intently at him.  _Well, this isn't awkward at all_ , Regulus thought.

"Are you okay?" he found himself asking. What else was he supposed to say?

"Hm? Yes, I'm fine," Barty replied, looking down quickly and perhaps realising that his staring could come off as a bit odd.

Regulus cocked his head to the side. "Can I ask you a question?"

"You asked me a question asking whether you can ask me a question," Barty said.

 _Wow, point out the obvious_ , Regulus thought, trying hard not to roll his eyes.

"Uh… yes," Regulus replied.

"Yes, you can ask me a question," Barty said, playing absent-mindedly with a fork that was lying on the table in front of him.

"Why are you staying at Hogwarts for Christmas?" Regulus asked. Immediately, he regretted asking his question. The look on Barty's face indicated that he didn't appreciate being asked such a question.

"Why would you ask that?" Barty snapped.

"I didn't mean – I'm… sorry?" Regulus said quickly, unsure as to why Barty was getting so worked up over it.

"Well, I don't  _have_  to answer your stupid question," he continued, getting up and sliding the fork towards Regulus angrily, as though sliding a fork at someone was some sort of hurtful gesture.

Regulus stood up too. "I never said you had to answer the question. Merlin, calm down."

"Well," Barty huffed. "I'm going back to the dormitory now. You can keep your… your rudeness to yourself… maybe have a think about how your words can hurt other people and come back later to apologise."

Regulus was really confused. He watched Barty walk away, and he wasn't sure whether he wanted to run after him and show him how rude he could really be, or laugh at how over-defensive he was acting. He settled for staying in his seat, eating his food in a rather aggressive fashion.

When he noticed that the sixth years were staring down the table at him after his tiff with Barty, he swallowed what food was left in his mouth and bolted from the room. He hated when people stared at him. Especially groups of sixth year boys, who were twice as tall and wide as him. He was only small, after all – smaller than most boys his age. He was an easy target, and painfully aware of that fact.

Even though he was still quite hungry, he didn't want to go back into the Great Hall. For once, he longed for the crowded hallways and the loud common room. It was easy to just blend into the background when there were people around.  _Only thirteen more days of this_ , he thought to himself miserably, as he trudged back to the Slytherin common room.

Taking a seat on one of the sofas, he sighed. He dreaded going back into the dormitory now. What if Barty confronted him about his apparently offensive question? What if he tried to attack him? The boy was strange, there was no doubt. Regulus wasn't sure whether Barty was the type to get violent. There would be no witnesses, too. It would be the perfect opportunity to attack.

 _Stop being silly_ , he told himself sternly.  _That boy couldn't hurt a fly… he's probably scared of flies_.

Deciding to listen to the rational part of his brain, Regulus headed down to the dormitory. He hesitantly reached for the door handle, pressing his ear against the wood to listen for any signs of violent behaviour from the other boy. Silence. Maybe that was a good thing. Regulus slowly opened the door and peered around the room. The curtains on Barty's bed were drawn. Regulus stepped inside the dormitory and closed the door quietly behind him.

When he slipped into bed, he drew his own curtains and closed his eyes. He thought of his parents and how much he wished they hadn't gone away for Christmas. He missed his bed at home and his annoying brother and his loyal house elves who would cook him delicious meals and listen to him when he was feeling sad or alone. He missed having someone to talk to. He missed having someone who would listen and actually  _care_  about what he was saying.

He didn't realise he was crying until he felt dampness on his pillow. He cried and cried, more than he'd cried in a long time. He couldn't stop himself, even though he knew that if Barty was awake, he'd be able to hear. Regulus just didn't have the energy to care or be embarrassed in that moment. He hugged his covers tightly, pulling them to his chest. He wiped away his tears with the back of his hand and sniffed loudly, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to stop more tears from flooding out. It was no use.

It wasn't till he was fast asleep that Regulus finally stopped crying that night.

* * *

Regulus skipped breakfast the next morning. He didn't want another situation like dinner last night. His stomach was growling, but he ignored it. He stayed in bed for as long as he could before he finally opened the curtains. Barty's bed was made and he was nowhere in sight – good.

Regulus headed to the bathroom to have a shower. Once he'd washed himself, he brushed his teeth and glanced at himself in the mirror. His eyes were still a little puffy from all the crying last night. Wonderful. He bushed his hair and got dressed. Looking at himself in the mirror again, he convinced himself he at least looked  _slightly_  better than he had a few moments ago.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Barty was standing right in front of the door.

"Merlin, you gave me a fright!" Regulus exclaimed. Barty stayed rooted on the spot in front of Regulus, staring at him with an odd expression. Regulus cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um, could you please move out of my way?"

"Sorry," Barty mumbled, stepping to the side to let Regulus past. Regulus was about to head out of the dormitory when Barty spoke again. "What's wrong with you?"

Regulus turned to face him, raising an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"There's something wrong with you," Barty continued. "You were crying last night."

Regulus blushed and looked away. "I wasn't," he muttered.

"Yes, you were. I heard you."

"So what if I was?" Regulus snapped, looking back at him angrily. "What's it got to do with you?"

Barty shrank back towards the wall and gulped. "I'm sorry… I was just curious… I- never mind. I-"

"-Well,  _don't_  be curious. Okay? What kind of person hears someone crying in private and then  _brings it up_  to them the next day?" Regulus knew he was being rude again, but this time he didn't really care.

"I'm  _sorry_ , Regulus."

"The person you should be asking 'what's wrong' to is yourself!" Regulus said, stepping closer to him. He was shorter than Barty, but Barty seemed absolutely terrified of him. "There's something wrong with  _you_. Not me."

Barty looked down at his feet, close to tears. "I didn't mean to upset you. There  _is_  something wrong with me. I'm useless and I'm worthless and it makes sense that you really hate me. I'll just stay out of your way now. I- I brought you some food from the Great Hall in case you were hungry because… well, you weren't there for breakfast." He reached into his bag and shakily handed Regulus something that was wrapped in a napkin. Barty glanced at him with teary eyes and then ran from the room.

Regulus stared after him for a moment, feeling slightly guilty for the way he had behaved. He unwrapped the napkin to find a couple of slices of toast. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He'd been unnecessarily mean. Maybe the reason Regulus had made no friends wasn't because people were horrible to him, but because  _he_  was a horrible person to others.

He dropped down onto his bed and started eating the toast. It felt great to finally be eating something, but he just couldn't ignore the awful nagging feeling of guilt for what he'd said to Barty.

* * *

A week passed and Barty didn't utter a word to Regulus. Normally, he'd be quite happy about the silence, but with every day that went by, he felt worse and worse about the fact that his dorm-mate was ignoring him. Regulus kept repeating Barty's words in his head –  _"I'm useless and I'm worthless and it makes sense that you really hate me"._  Regulus didn't want Barty to think he  _hated_  him. Hell, he barely even  _knew_  him.

It was Christmas Eve when the silence was becoming excruciating. Barty was lying in bed reading a book and Regulus was watching him, trying to think of something to say. Something that would fix things – not that there was much to fix, anyway.

He thought about Barty's words again and he frowned. "I don't hate you," Regulus said, without thinking. He hadn't meant to say it so out-of-the-blue. He was planning some sort of tactical way to tell the boy he wasn't hated – not to just say it so abruptly.

Barty peered over his book at Regulus and smiled softly. "I don't hate you either."

"Well, that's a relief, I guess," Regulus said. "The thought of you hating me has been making me cry myself to sleep at night…"

Barty just stared at him.

"That was a joke," Regulus said awkwardly. "You know, because… because the whole reason we argued in the first place was because I was crying… it was a dumb joke."

"Yeah, that was a pretty dumb joke," Barty said, putting his book away and sitting up. He got up, and to Regulus's surprise, came and sat next to him on his own bed. Regulus instinctively leaned away from him – he wasn't used to people being in such close proximity to him. It felt weird.

"Hello. Why're you sitting next to me?" Regulus asked.

"I thought that made us friends," Barty said, shrugging and leaning closer despite Regulus leaning away. "Us not hating each other."

"Friends?" Regulus repeated, standing up quickly.

"Unless… I just thought… that's stupid," Barty replied, blushing. "You wouldn't want to be friends with me."

Regulus was in shock. Barty wanted to be his… his friend? He was baffled. He'd been nothing but rude to the boy. And nobody had ever called Regulus their 'friend' before. Sure, he'd never thought of Barty as a friend before, and why would he? Barty was  _weird_  – even more weird than Regulus, and that was saying something.

"Right, I've embarrassed myself," Barty said awkwardly, standing up. "I'll just go somewhere else… yeah…"

He started to walk towards the door, but Regulus stepped in front of him to stop him from leaving. "Be my friend. I mean… I  _am_  your friend. If you want me to be, that is. I understand if you don't want me to be."

Much to Regulus's surprise, Barty's face cracked into a huge grin. Regulus couldn't help smile back. "I want to be," Barty said quickly, the happiness evident in his voice.

"Great. Then, I guess… we're friends."

Regulus was suddenly in Barty's arms and he didn't quite know what to do about it. Why on Earth was he  _hugging_  him? Regulus wasn't much of a hugger, but this was one hell of a hug. Regulus could barely breathe, he was being squeezed so tight. He slowly brought his arms up to hug Barty back, unsure of whether he was really doing it right.

Barty let go of him, still grinning. "Aw, I'm really excited. I've never had a friend before. Do you want to play Exploding Snap with me? Or chess? Oooh, we could play hide and seek! I don't really know how to play though, I've only played with my house elf Winky who cheats all the time because she can apparate whenever I get near where she's hiding… oh, we can build a card castle together like the one you saw me build on the first day of the holidays!"

"You're enthusiastic," Regulus said, trying not to laugh at Barty's outburst.

Barty looked slightly embarrassed. "Uh, sorry. I get excited easily."

"I can tell. And it's not a bad thing. I like it. I've never had a friend before either, apart from my brother Sirius… but he's not really my friend anymore."

"Because he's in Gryffindor?"

Regulus shrugged. "No… because  _I'm_ in Slytherin."

"Oh, come on. Slytherin isn't that bad. It's  _green_. Like the colour of grass and trees and… long grass… and… other kinds of trees…" Barty trailed off, seemingly lost in thought. "But  _Gryffindor_? It's red. What else is red?"

Regulus shrugged, unsure. "Um, strawberries?"

"No. Well yeah, but… LAVA. And that's not a good thing. So Slytherin's better."

"Lava?" Regulus snorted. "Really?"

"Really. Come on, let's play hide and seek.  _Please_?" Barty asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Aren't we too old to play hide and seek?" Regulus asked. Barty rolled his eyes at him and grabbed Regulus by the shoulders, shaking him slightly.

"Regulus Black. We're  _eleven_. Live a little."

Regulus put his hands up in defeat. "Fine, fine! But you're hiding first, okay?"

"Good luck finding me," Barty said, holding his hand out to shake Regulus's. Regulus shook his hand hesitantly and smiled.

"Well, you have thirty seconds. Better hurry."

Barty let go of his hand and practically sprinted out of the dormitory. Regulus breathed out, shaking his head. Having a friend was weird… but in a way, he was enjoying the weirdness. He could get used to it.

He slowly started counting down from thirty.

* * *

It was Christmas Day. Regulus yawned and got out of bed, smiling. Yesterday had been one of the best days of his life. He had fallen up the stairs and bruised his knee running away from Barty during hide and seek, but who cares about bruises when you have a friend? He was so happy, and he couldn't hide the fact.

"Good morning!" Barty exclaimed rather loudly, making Regulus jump. He glanced over at Barty, who was eating a chocolate frog on his bed.

"Hey," Regulus replied, heading over to his bed and dropping down onto the floor. "Chocolate at this time in the morning?"

"It's Christmas!" Barty said excitedly. "You have loads of presents. Aren't you going to open them?"

Regulus frowned and glanced back at the presents piled at the foot of his own bed. He shook his head and turned back to Barty. "I can guarantee there's nothing exciting in there. Nothing as exciting as a chocolate frog, anyway."

"If you're not going to open them, can I?" Barty asked. "And this chocolate frog wasn't a present. I had it in my trunk from the summer before school started. I was saving it for today."

Regulus glanced up at him. "You want to open  _my_  presents?"

Barty nodded excitedly. "I didn't get any presents. Actually, I never do. Not since… well, never mind. I just really want to open some presents, even if they're not for me. Can I?" He grinned broadly at Regulus.

Regulus was surprised that Barty hadn't got even one present. He felt kind of bad for not buying him a present himself, but then he reminded himself that they had only become friends yesterday so there was no reason for him to buy a present before then. "Sure. If I can have some of your chocolate."

"It's a deal!" Barty said loudly, breaking some of the chocolate frog and handing it to Regulus. He sprang out of bed and stood in front of Regulus's pile of presents. Regulus watched him, wondering why someone would get so excited about opening someone else's Christmas presents. He knew Barty would probably be disappointed – it was most likely going to be a load of ancient family heirlooms. Boring stuff.

"Which should I open first?"

"Whatever you want," Regulus said, eating his chocolate. "You can keep them if you want… or… maybe not. My family might kill me, actually."

Barty grabbed one of the largest presents and started unwrapping it. Regulus couldn't help but smile at the look of pure joy on his face. When Barty finally finished unwrapping the present, his look of joy turned to a look of disgust.

"Uh… Regulus… what kind of family do you  _have_?!" Barty said, slowly placing the boxed house elf head on the floor and backing away.

"The Moste Ancient and Noble House of Black," Regulus said dryly, glancing at the house elf head and grimacing. "We behead house elves in our family and keep the heads as ornaments. Yeah. Don't look at me like that, I'd rather not have a house elf head in my room either…"

Barty nodded. "Well, that's a relief. That thing would give me nightmares. Shall we wrap it up and leave it outside Snape's dorm?"

Regulus wished he'd thought of it himself. He grinned and nodded. "That's an amazing idea! But you do know he'll know it's from us and he'll hate us more than he already does, right?"

Barty shrugged and picked up the house elf head again. "Two against one. He's not so scary when you have a friend. I hope. Have you got any wrapping paper?"

Regulus nodded. "Yeah, I have some."

They spent the next few minutes carefully wrapping up the house elf head, making sure it looked presentable. Regulus grabbed a piece of parchment and folded it in half. Taking out his quill and ink, he started to write on the front.

' _Dear Severus Snape'_

He almost couldn't write due to his hand shaking as he laughed. Barty's sniggering beside him only made it worse. He continued writing.

' _Have a great Christmas. Inside, you will find a hand-made replica of yourself. Handle with great care.'_

"I have tears coming out my eyes," Barty said breathlessly, laughing again.

"Who shall we say it's from?" Regulus asked.

"His 'secret admirer'," Barty said quickly. Regulus smirked and nodded. He continued writing.

' _Love from, your secret admirer'_

"There," Regulus said, putting his quill down. "I think it's perfect. So… I did the writing. You can leave it outside his door."

"What?!" Barty exclaimed. "Nooo. No no no. I'm not doing that. What if he murders me?"

"He won't murder you," Regulus said.

"He'll murder me with his words, Regulus. Please, let's do it together?"

Regulus rolled his eyes and nodded. "Fine. Open the door for me and I'll carry it."

Barty ran to the door and opened it as Regulus picked up the present and walked out of the dormitory. It was a lot heavier than it looked. Barty followed closely behind him. Regulus's heart was thumping loudly in his chest – what if Snape really  _did_ catch them? He wasn't ready to die by words either.

"That's his dorm over there," Barty whispered, pointing to a door at the end of the corridor. Regulus slowly shuffled over, trying to not to make any sound.

"Ow!" Barty yelled.

"What?" Regulus hissed.

"You stepped on my toe really hard," Barty whined. Just as Regulus was about to respond, they heard footsteps on the other side of the door. Regulus set the present down as quickly and gently as he could.

"RUN!" He yelled, grabbing Barty by the sleeve and sprinting down the corridor and up the stairs towards the Slytherin common room.

"Regulus!" Barty panted from behind him, still being dragged along by the sleeve. "Where are you going?"

"If we go to our dorm, we'll be trapped," Regulus said as he flung the common room door open and pulled Barty up the spiral staircase towards the main corridor of the castle.

"Regulus… phew… I can't run any longer," Barty said, stopping, and making Regulus stop.

Regulus tried not to laugh at Barty's heavy breathing and red face. "I think we're in the all clear now anyway. He won't know it was us."

"Except for the fact you yelled 'RUN' really really loudly right outside his door," Barty pointed out, fanning himself with his hand as though that would cool him down.

"Would you like to go and stand outside for five minutes so you can cool down?" Regulus asked, smiling slightly.

Barty let out a loud sigh of relief. "Thought you'd never ask."

"Come on, then," Regulus said.

##

A few days passed. Regulus could truly say that he'd never been happier. Having a friend made the world okay. Having a friend made waking up in the morning worthwhile. Regulus decided he'd rather spend  _all_  his Christmases at Hogwarts with Barty rather than go home to his cold family. For the first time in four months, Regulus liked being at Hogwarts.

They were sitting together on the floor one night in their room stuffing their faces with sweets they'd stolen from Dolohov's bedside table, playing exploding snap. Regulus played his card and glanced at Barty cautiously. He'd been wanting to ask him about something for a while but wasn't sure what Barty's reaction would be.

"Uh, Barty?" he asked, keeping his voice as calm and casual as he could. Barty looked up at him.

"Yeah?"

"If I ask you something will you promise not to get angry?" Regulus asked.

"… I guess?" Barty replied. "Yeah. Go on."

"Why did you get so angry with me when I asked you why you were staying at Hogwarts for Christmas?"

Barty frowned, and for the first time since they'd become friends, he looked sad. Regulus already felt bad for asking.

"I… uh… well… it's just not something I wanted you to know."

Regulus nodded. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you."

"I want you to know now, though," Barty said quickly. "You're my friend now. You weren't back then, that's why I got angry at you for asking. But I'm sorry for throwing the fork at you," he said, looking a bit embarrassed.

Regulus laughed. "You didn't really  _throw_  it at me. You slid it across the table."

"With great anger," Barty said defensively.

"Yes, with great anger," Regulus agreed. "So, why  _did_  you stay at Hogwarts – if you don't mind me asking?"

Barty sighed. "Well, it's my dad. He's… we don't… uh… he doesn't really like me. And I don't really like him. Not really. I just… well… I would prefer to spend as little time with him as possible, really. Yeah."

"What about your mother?" Regulus asked softly, noticing that this seemed to be a sensitive topic.

"She's dead," Barty said, frowning again. "It happened when I was three."

"I'm so,  _so_  sorry," Regulus said quickly, wishing he hadn't asked.

"No, it's fine. I'm over it. I barely knew her, you know? I'm sure she wasn't that great anyway if she chose to love my dad," Barty said. "I'm kind of glad she died. That way I wouldn't have to hate two parents."

"Don't say that," Regulus replied. "I bet she was lovely."

"Well, I will never know," Barty said. "My dad won't talk about her. Anyway, that's why I'm here for Christmas. I'll probably stay every Christmas, actually."

"How… how did she…"

"I'd rather not talk about it," Barty replied. Regulus nodded in understanding.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Reg."

Regulus looked at Barty and laughed. "You called me 'Reg'," he said quietly.

"Did I?" Barty asked. His mind seemed to be elsewhere. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine. I was just surprised. The only other person who calls me 'Reg' is my brother," Regulus said. "I like it."

Barty smiled. "Well,  _Reg_ , get used to it."

"I will. And Barty? The reason I was crying that night… it was because I had nobody. I was lonely. You're not the only person with a horrible parent. Mine are both awful, so I completely understand."

"I'm sorry," Barty said. "And thanks for telling me."

"It's okay."

"They can't all be bad, though. What about your brother?" Barty asked.

"Sirius… he's… well… he's turned his back on me," Regulus said sadly. "We used to be so close. He always protected me against my parents and stood up for me. But now that we're at Hogwarts he won't even look at me. It's like I don't exist to him anymore."

"I always wanted a brother or sister," Barty said. "You're lucky."

"Not really. It's not all it's cracked up to be," Regulus said. "Especially when your brother is Sirius."

Barty grinned. "It would be cool if  _we_  were brothers."

Regulus thought about that for a moment. Sirius and his friends acted like they were brothers. He could see it from a mile away. Maybe it was because he and Barty had only just become friends, but the thought of Barty being his brother just seemed like an odd concept.

"Yeah," he said absent-mindedly. "Hey, I think we should go to sleep. It's getting late."

"Sure."

* * *

It wasn't until the last day of the Christmas holidays that Barty and Regulus had a run-in with Snape. They'd managed to avoid him up until this point, but it was inevitable that they'd run into him at some point. They were on their way back from the Great Hall chattering animatedly. When they entered the Slytherin common room, Snape was standing by the doorway that led down to the dormitories.

"Black. Crouch," Snape said coldly.

"Snape! How's it going, buddy?" Barty said, as cheerfully as he could. Regulus couldn't help but note obvious nervous quiver in his voice.

"Do I look like I'm your 'buddy'?"

Barty shook his head quickly, pressing closer to Regulus in fear.

"I assume I have you two to thank for my Christmas gift?" Snape asked, his glare piercing.

"C-Christmas gift? What are you talking about?" Regulus stuttered.

"Are you not my 'secret admirers'?" Snape questioned.

Regulus heard Barty sniggering beside him. "Ew," he muttered.

"Excuse me?" Snape said. "Your words, not mine."

"You have the wrong people," Regulus said, trying to muster up some courage. Snape was only a year older – he probably wasn't as scary as he seemed.

"Black, as I recall, whoever left that gift outside my door yelled 'run' in a very loud voice which sounded a lot like yours."

Regulus blinked and tried to act dumb. "Really?"

"Yes," Snape continued. "And funnily enough, this 'secret admirer' also has  _your_  handwriting."

"That's crazy, isn't it?" Barty said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Not really," Snape said. "And did you know that the house elf head is in a box, Black?"

"Hm?"

"Yes, it's in a box. And it has your family crest on it," Snape said, smirking. "Explain yourself."

"Maybe it was Sirius," Regulus shrugged.

"He isn't here."

Barty cleared his throat and stepped forward. "He could have snuck back to Hogwarts and somehow managed to get into the Slytherin common room and then magically found your dorm and left it outside."

Regulus tried not to laugh. The situation really wasn't funny and Snape was probably going to kill them both.

"I highly doubt that," Snape said. "Anyway, stop looking so scared. Both of you. It's clear to me now – Black has a little crush on me. Don't you?"

"I'm sorry –  _what_?" Regulus blurted out, in shock.

"Oh my god, this is great," Barty said, bursting out with laughter.

"No it's not great," Regulus said, elbowing him in the ribs.

"Oh my god, this is horrible," Barty said quickly, looking at Regulus for approval.

"That'll be my payback," Snape continued. "I'll make sure to spread the rumour. Everyone will know soon enough."

"Please don't," Regulus said desperately. The thought of everyone at Hogwarts thinking he has a crush on Snape made Regulus feel nauseous. Everyone already hated him – he didn't need things to get worse.

"Your fault. Shouldn't have sent me a house elf head."

"I'm sorry," Regulus said. "I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

"Too late," Snape sneered.

"Wait," Barty said. "It was my idea."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Sure."

"Get your payback on me, not him," Barty said. "Tell everyone that  _I_  have a crush on you, not Reg."

"Sorry, Crouch. But I just don't believe you," Snape said, walking towards his dormitory. "I'll see you both around."

Barty turned to Regulus, looking sad. "I'm so sorry, Reg."

Regulus shook his head. "Forget it. We both did it together. He thinks I did it. Whatever. But thank you for what you said. I wouldn't have let you take the blame though, if he'd believed you."

"I'll be here if anyone says anything mean to you," Barty said. "I'll punch them in the face."

Regulus laughed. "I'd love to see that."

"No, I really would," Barty said. "You're my best friend."

"I'm your  _only_  friend."

"But you're still my  _best_  friend."

Regulus smiled, feeling a warmth in his chest. "That's the best thing anyone has ever said to me, Barty. You're my best friend, too."

Before Regulus knew what was happening, Barty was hugging him again. This time, he hugged back tightly. He smiled, knowing that the next six and half years at Hogwarts would be amazing. He had a best friend, and that was the best thing that had ever happened to him.


End file.
